Welcome

California Writers Club

“Educating writers of all abilitiesin the craft of writing
and in the marketing of their work”

Do you live to write? Write to make a living? Whether you’re a published author with a major New York house, or “just always wanted to write,” there’s a place for you at California Writers Club.

We’re one of the oldest writer’s organizations in continuous operation in the nation. Our members are poets, journalists, essayists, technical writers, and creators of genre and literary fiction, as well as editors, booksellers, and others involved in related fields, all joined together for the common goal of educating ourselves and the community on the craft of writing and the realities of getting our work published.

Jack London

Our story begins in the early years of the twentieth century, when Jack London and his literary pals gathered at the home of poet Joaquin Miller in the Oakland hills for picnics and conversation. At the same time, the Alameda Press Club, led by California poet laureate, Ina Coolbrith, was holding meetings at the Shattuck Hotel in Berkeley. After various mergings and spin-offs, most of which are lost to history, in 1909 these informal literary salons became the California Writers Club.Read more on the History Page.

Today, California Writers Club has approximately 1800 members in 21 branches throughout the state. From the redwood forests of the North Coast to the Orange County beaches, from the solitude of the high desert to the fast pace of Silicon Valley, there’s a CWC branch near you – just check out the links at right.

Thank you for visiting us on the Web. We hope to see you at a meeting soon!

A note on our banner:

The collage represents just a few of the many California landmarks associated with writers.
From left: Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, John’s Grill in San Francisco (Dashiell Hammett), Angel’s Camp (Mark Twain), Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, the Ramona Bowl (Helen Hunt Jackson), John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, Dana Point (Richard Henry Dana), William Saroyan historic tour in Fresno, the Zane Grey Pueblo Hotel on Catalina Island, Raymond Chandler Square in Hollywood, the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, and City Lights Bookstore (Lawrence Ferlinghetti) in San Francisco. See California Writers Week page for more.